Cane-topper.



Patented July 2, I90l. 0. PALM.

CANE TOPPEB.

(No Model.)

(Application filed Aug. 28, 1900.)

4 Sheets-Sheet l.

THE ncnngs FEI'EHS co, Puo'mu'rna, WASHINGTON. u. c

No. 677,426. Patented July 2, Him. 0 PALM. CANE TOPPEB.

(Application filed Aug. 28, 1900. (N0 Pflfl eh) 4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

umu. wnswmo'rou u c No. 677,426. Patented July 2, 19m. 0. PALM.

CANE TUPPER.

(Application filed Aug. 28, 1900.)

4 Sheets-Sheei 3.

(no Modei.)

(No Model.)

U. PALM.

CANE TOPPEB.

(Applic.tion filed Aug. 28, 1900.

Patented July 2, I90].

4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

WII m M ran STATES ATENT Fries.

OLIVER PALM, OF ALBANY, TEXAS.

CAN E-TOPPER.

$PECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 677,426, dated July 2,1901.

Application filed August 28, 1900. Serial No. 28,350. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OLIVER PALM, a citizen of the United States,residing at Albany, in the county of Shackleford and State of Texas,have invented new and useful Improvements in Cane-Toppers, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in machines forcutting the tops of cane; and the primary object'is to provide a devicewhich maybe readily secured to a wagon or any other suitable vehicle andwhich may be quickly adjusted so as to cut the tops of cane of differentsizes.

A further object is to provide means whereby the tops after beingsevered will be conveyed to a wagon or to a receptacle adjacent to thecutting mechanism. j

The machine comprises a frame having means wherebythe same may bequickly and securely attached to the sides of a wagon or to any othersuitable support. This frame is provided with uprights upon each side,which serve as guides for rollers mounted at the inner end of avertically-movable frame. This vertically-movable frame is adjustable bymeans of a lever which is mounted upon a standard supported by theupright guides, and cutting-teeth and a sliding sickle are mountedthereon and adapted to cut the heads or tops which are brought intocontact therewith. A reel is mounted upon the vertically movable framefor the purpose of throwing the heads into engagement with the teeth andsickle, and a suitable conveyer is also provided upon said frame forconducting the tops toa receptacle located at the inner end of saidconveyer. The sickle, as well as the conveyer, receives motion from ashaft which is journaled upon the verticallymovable frame and which isconnected to a fixed shaft upon the stationary frame by means of anextensible shaft which is connected at opposite ends to said stationaryshaft and to the shaft of the movable frame by means of universaljoints. Motion is imparted to the shafts by means of a sprocketchainwhich engages a sprocket secured to one of the traction-wheels. Thischain also engages a sprocket secured to the fixed shaft of the device.

The invention consists in certain features the guide-uprights brokenaway. Fig. 4 is a front end view of the device'attached to a wagon. Fig.5 is a section on line :0 m of Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a detail view of themechanism for throwing the device in and out of gear with thedriving-wheel. Fig. 7 is a detail view of the jointed driving-shaft.

Referring to the drawings by numerals of reference, 1 1 are the sides ofa wagon 2, to

one of the traction-wheels 3 of which is secured a sprocketwheel 4. Thissprocketwheel is engaged by a chain 5, which extends upward and ismounted upon a second (preferably smaller) sprocket 6, which is looselymounted upon a shaft 7. This shaft is journaled upon a preferablyrectangular frame 8, which extends transversely of the wagon and isprovided at each end with downwardlyprojecting arms 9, which extend overthe sides of the wagon and serve to retain the frame thereon and preventlateral movement thereof. This frame is provided with suitably-locatedcross-strips, one of which, 10,

supports abracket' 11, within which is journaled one end of the shaft 7.This shaft is provided with a feather 12, which engages a sliding collar13, from the inner face of which project lugs 14, which are adapted toengage recesses 15, formed within the face of the sprocket 6. The collaris provided in its periphery with an annular groove 16, within which isfitted the end of a lever 17. This lever is pivotally mounted betweentwo brackets 18, which extend over and under the same, and it is obviousthat by swinging the lever laterally upon its pivot the collar 13 willbe thrown into or out of engagement with the sprocket 6. It is of courseunderstood that means are provided for preventing lateral movement ofsaid sprocket.

Projecting upward from each side of the frame 8 are parallel uprights19, which are connected at the top by a cross-strip 20, upon which ismounted a toothed segment 21.

This segment is adapted to be engaged by a dog 22, which is slidablymounted upon alever 23, pivoted within a bracket 24, secured to thecross-strip 20. A hooked arm 25 extends forward from the lever andengages a metal yoke 26, the free ends of which are secured to the sidesof a sliding frame 27. This sliding frame extends between the uprights19, and arms 28 are secured thereto and extend over the outer faces ofsaid uprights. A roller 29 is journaled at the end of each of these armsand is adapted totravel vertically between the uprights 19, which serveas guides therefor.

Standards 30 are secured to the frame 27 at the outer end thereof and ata point above the side of the wagon, and a reel 31 is journaled withinthe upper ends thereof. This reelcomprises a desired number ofoutwardlyextending arms 32, which are connected at their outer ends bylongitudinally-extending cross strips These arms are of such length asto come into close proximity to the frame 27 when said reel is revolved.

A sprocket 34 is secured to the reel-shaft and is engaged by a chain 35,which extends upward from asecond sprocket 36, which is secured to ashaft 37, journaled within the frame 27. This shaft is provided withabeveled pinion 38, which meshes with a similar pinion 39, journaledupon a longitudinally and laterally extending strip 40, which is formedwith the inner portion of the frame 27. This pinion 39 has a wrist-pin41 extending from the face thereof, and said pin is engaged by apitman-42, the opposite end of which is secured to a rod 43. This rod isconnected at its outer end to one end of a sickle 44, which extendslongitudinally of the frame 27 and is slidably mounted upon teeth 45,which extend from the side strip 46 of the frame 2.7. This sickle 44 andthe teeth 45 are arranged substantially in vertical alinement with thecenter of the reel 31.

A beveled pinion 47 is secured to the shaft 37 at a point adjacent. thepinion 38 and meshes with a beveled pinion 48, which is also journaledupon the outer face of the longitudinally and laterally extending strip40 of the frame 27. This pinion is secured to the end of a roller 49,Which extends across the frame 27 at the rear end thereof and is adaptedto conduct an apron or other suitable conveyor 50. (Shown in Fig. 5.)This apron is also mounted upon a roller 51, which is journaled withinthe outer end of the frame 27.

The shaft 37 is provided at its inner end with a yoke 52, having a ring53 pivoted therein. The end of a squared shaft 54 is pivoted within thisring on a line at right angles to the pivots of the ring 53, and saidsquared shaft is slidably mounted within a similar passage formed withina hollow shaft 55. This shaft is also provided at one end with a yoke56, to which is pivoted a ring 57. The

end of the shaft 7 is pivoted to this'ring on a line at right angles tothe line of the pivots of the ring. It will thus be seen that the frame27 can be raised and lowered by shifting the lever 23 back and forthupon its pivot, and such movement will cause the shaft 54 to slide backand forth within the shaft 55. As said shaft is arranged at an angle tothe shafts 7 and 37, the universal joints formed by the yokes 52 and 56and the rings 53 and 57 are necessary in order to impart motion from oneshaft to the other. It will be seen that the motion imparted to theshaft 7 from the wheel 3 is not only transmitted to the apron 50 throughthe pinions 47 and 48 and the roller 39, but is also imparted to thereciprocating sickle 44 through the pinions 38 39 and the pitman 42.While these parts are in motion the reel will be revolved through thesprockets and their chain 35. By providing a device of this characterthe heads can be readily cut from the cane, and the sliding frame 27 isreadily adjusted to cane of varying heights. The sickle 44 can be madeof sufiicient length to extend over two or more rows of cane, and

by this construction the work of removing the tops, which has heretoforegenerally been performed by hand, is greatly simplified and can beperformed with great rapidity.

In the foregoing description I have shown the preferred embodiment of myinvention; but I do not wish to be understood as limiting myselfthereto, as I am aware that modifications may be made therein withoutdeparting from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantagesthereof, and I therefore reserve to myself the right to make suchchanges as fairly fall within the scope of my invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed, and desired to besecured by Letters Patent, isr 1. The combination with a fixed frame, oftwo sets of parallel standards thereon one set at each side thereof, amoving frame between the sets of standards, arms to the frame extendingover the outer faces of the standards, rollers journaled upon the armsand rev oluble between the standards on each side, a lever pivoted abovethe moving frame, a hooked arm thereto, a bail secured to said arm andthe ends thereof being fastened to the sliding frame, means for lockingthe lever in adjusted position, teeth upon the moving frame, a sickleslidably mounted thereon, a shaft upon the fixed frame, and means forimparting motion from said shaft to the sickle.

2. The combination with afixed frame having a shaft journaled thereon,two sets of parallel standards one set at each side of the fixed frame,a sliding frame between the sets of standards, arms to the frameextending over the outer faces of the standards, rollers journaledthereto and revoluble between the standards, a shaft journaled upon themoving frame, an extensible shaft connecting the shafts of the twoframes and connected thereto by universal joints, a lever fulcrumed uponthe fixed frame and above the standards, a hooked frame thereto, a bailconnecting said arm with the sides of the sliding frame, teeth upon thesliding frame, a sickle thereon, means for imparting motion to thesickle from the shafts, standards upon the sliding frame, a reelthereon, and means for-imparting motion to the reel from said shafts.

3. The combination with a wagon having a sprocket secured to one of thewheels, of a frame upon said wagon, arms thereto extending over thesides of the wagon and adapted to prevent lateral movement of the frame,a shaft journaled upon the frame, a sprocket loosely mounted thereon, achain connecting the sprockets of the shaft and wheel, a collar slidablymounted upon the shaft and revoluble therewith, lugs to the collaradapted to engage recesses in the sprocket on the shaft, a lever forthrowing the collar into engagement with the sprocket, parallelstandards upon opposite sides of the fixed frame, a sliding frame, armsat opposite sides thereof extending over the outer faces of thestandards, rollers journaled to the arms and mounted between thestandards, said standards forming guides therefor, a lever fulcrumedabove the standards, a hooked arm thereto, a bail connecting said arm tothe sides of the sliding frame, teeth upon the sliding frame, a sickleslidably mounted thereon, a shaft journaled upon said frame, standardsto the frame, a reel journaled therebetween and above the sickle, meansfor imparting motion to the reel and sickle from the shaft on thesliding frame, and an extensible shaft connecting the shafts of the twoframes, said shaft being connected thereto by universal joints.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature .in presence of two witnesses.

OLIVER PALM,

lVitnesses:

J. O. TAYLOR, L. S. HALLOWELL.

